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Thursday, March 26, 2009

UAA Seawolves 09-10 recruit Chris Crowell (6'2" 205lbs) finished his regular season with 12 goals and 31 assists as Captain of the Vernon Vipers for 5th best on the squad.

This was Chris' 4th season in a Vipers uniform. So far in the BCHL playoffs he has scored 5 goals and 4 assists in 9 games.

The Vipers are currently tied 2 games each with Salmon Arm in the Interior Division finals.

The 21 year old forward is well liked in Vernon for doing whatever it takes to help his team win. Chris doesn't back down from a fight.

With only modest numbers throughout his career, Chris is clearly a recruit being brought in for his character, maturity and toughness.

Don't be surprised if at some point in his Seawolf career that he becomes a Captain here as well. The one comparison that occurs to me is Regg Simon. We shouldn't expect anything flashy from Chris but I'm guessing that he will put out 115% on every shift he takes.

6 comments:

Crowell is going to have a very difficult time adjusting to the WCHA. He is not a skill guy and is known for his leadership but if he cant play its pretty tough to be a leader from the stands. It would be interesting to know if he is a on a full ride scholarship because fighting and toughness really are far behind being able to keep up so i think this is one guy that has his work really cut out next year to make an impact because of his skating ability.I do wish him luck but its a monster jump to the WCHA and skating and hockey sense are musts to be able to contribute enough to be a leader. I just dont see many 4th liners in a Captain role on ant teams in the WCHA.

I think it's not unreasonable to question how well he'll do here. But it is also necessary to recruit role players as well.

I think it's worse to see a skill player stuck on a checking line. I think you've got to get find a balance and utilize the skill set that the player brings.

I'd point out the career of Gustav Bengtson as an example. Here's a guy with top 6 skill set but for various reasons (mostly proven veterans) has played on the bottom two lines everywhere he's gone. He never succeeded because he isn't a checking line guy.

As to schollie situation, I assume that the 18 scholarships are split among the roster with the exception of only a couple of guys.

I love the bangers. UAA needs these hard-assed skaters in a bad way. Teams like N.Dakota, UofM, UMD and others are tough customers. Welcome to the WCHA. Kick ass on those teams, and UAA Seawolf fans will love you. GO SEAWOLVES!!!!!

Crowell is a character player with strong leadership skills being only a part of his game. He makes a major difference in Vernon and ,after a reasonable break-in period, will very likely do the same at UAA.